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"I don't think we even need the snowshoes."
"There is still about a foot of snow out here Tony," Ziva said, looking over at him as they walked.
"Yeah, but it's all packed down. Look you can even see foot prints." He poked one with his ski pole just to prove his point.
"Yes, Tony, I see them."
"Big furry doggy," Tony said a few minutes later.
"You can tell that from the prints?" Ziva asked, studying the paw prints more closely.
"No, I can tell that from the big furry doggy in front of us." Ziva looked up and saw the dog and two people further up the trail.
"I knew that."
"Hi," said the man as he passed by.
"Hello," Tony and Ziva both responded along with a curt nod.
"See, they weren't wearing snowshoes and they were doing just fine," Tony said once they were farther up the trail.
"Will you just drop it, Tony?"
"Okay, dropping it," he muttered under his breath. They walked in silence to the end of the trail where it was boarded off.
"Where do you think this leads?" Tony asked leaning over the pile of wood.
"It looks like a bridge goes through here. Maybe they only put it up in the summer."
"Where are we, I'll look it up online," he said, pulling out his phone.
"We're trained investigators, Tony, we should be able to figure it out."
"We are figuring it out. So where are we?"
"The Flume Gorge," Ziva sighed.
"Here, we, go," Tony said as he searched it on his phone. "The Flume is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The walls- blah, blah, blah- guests can choose to walk through just the Gorge or do a two mile loop. The walk includes uphill walking and lots of stairs. The boardwalk allows you to look closely at the growth of flowers and mosses found here. Told you," Tony mocked, shutting off his phone and stuffing it back in his jacket pocket.
"Fine, Tony, you were correct." Ziva turned and walked back down the rail, not waiting to see if Tony was following her.
"Hey, wait for me," Tony yelled after. "What's wrong?" he asked when he caught up. She shrugged and leaned against the railing.
"I just don't know," she whispered slowly.
"You can talk to me. I'm always here for you," Tony reassured, rubbing her back gently.
"I know." She gave him a small smile before pushing off the railing and continuing to walk down the trail. They walked slowly, side-by-side, hand in hand- both their ski poles in one hand.
"You want to go grab a bite to eat?" Tony asked as they removed their snowshoes and climbed into the car.
"Sure, where do you want to go?"
"How about the place we went to the other night."
"They do not serve lunch, Tony."
"Fine, lets just drive down Main Street and see what we can see."
"Fine, but I'm driving."